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Site Name: El Paso VA Health Care System

Department: Behavioral Health Service

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Department : Behavioral Health Service

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Member Site Information
APPIC Member Number: 2400
Program Type: Internship
Membership Type: Full Membership
Site: El Paso VA Health Care System
Department: Behavioral Health Service
Address: 5001 North Piedras Street
El Paso, Texas 79930
Country: United States
Metro Area: Not Applicable
Not Applicable
Distance from Major City: In El Paso
Phone: 915-564-6100x6481
Fax:
Training Director Email: patrie.williams@va.gov
Co-Training Director Email:
Web Address: https://www.va.gov/el-paso-health-care/work-with-us/internships-and-fellowships/
Brochure Website's Address: https://www.keepandshare.com/doc15/28350/va-el-paso-psychology-internship-program-brochure-2026-2027-pdf-2-4-meg?da=y
Primary Agency Type: Veterans Affairs Medical Center
Additional Agency Types:
  • Veterans Affairs Medical Center
Member of APPIC since:
Accreditation
APA Accreditation Accredited
CPA Accreditation Not Accredited
Internship Staff/Faculty Information
Training Director: Patrie Williams
Chief Psychologist: Emilia Candelario
Number of Full-Time Licensed Doctoral Psychologists on Staff/Faculty 9
Number of Part-Time Licensed Doctoral Psychologists on Staff/Faculty 0
Position Information
Start Date: 07/13/2026
Funded
Number of Full Time Slots Expected Next Class: 3
Number of Part Time Slots Expected Next Class: 0
Stipend
Full Time Annual Stipend for Next Class: 34324
Part Time Annual Stipend for Next Class: 0
Fringe Benefits: Comp Time , Dental Insurance, Health Insurance, Professional Development Time, Sick Leave, Vacation
Other Fringe Benefits (not indicated above): 11 paid federal holidays; 4 hours of paid sick leave and 4 hours of paid annual leave earned each pay period; training in evidence-based treatments by national trainers; up to 5 days of authorized absence for professional development/conferences; health insurance options that cover spouses and dependent children (contribution to cost required). Health Professional Trainees (HPTs) must be appointed for more than 90 days (3 months) and working at least 130 hours/month to meet eligibility requirements for Federal Employee Health Benefits (FEHP) and Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program (FEDVIP). Here is an up-to-date list of benefits HPTs are allowed under a NTE 2080 hour temporary appointment: - FEHB (Health Insurance) - FEDVIP (Dental and Vision Insurance) - Leave Benefits (Annual Leave, Sick Leave, Leave Without Pay*, Advanced Leave**, Authorized Absence, Comp Time) - *LWOP - implications for health insurance (HPT share of premium will be charged upon return to work, or post-employment if they do not return) - **Advanced Leave (stipulations apply for number of hours that may be used and requires local approval) - Flexible Spending (Note: must be used by the end of the NTE one year appointment) - Childcare Subsidy (Note: eligibility is based on income) - Transit Benefits (Note: only if using public transportation)
Brief description of the typical work day for an intern at this training site A typical day for an intern may include supervision with their rotation supervisor(s), 2-3 individual therapy patients, 1 treatment group, and time for documentation, assessment report writing, and/or dissertation. On any given day, an intern may also observe their supervisor demonstrating different clinical interventions live or co-facilitate a group with their supervisor. Interns spend 3 days a week with a major rotation and 2 days a week in a minor rotation. In total each intern receives a minimum of 10 hours of client contact on a typical week in addition to didactics, supervision and other learning opportunities.
Does this site have practicum psychology students on site? No
Is this program fully affiliated with one or more doctoral programs? No
Is this program partially affiliated with one or more doctoral programs? No
Internship Application Process
Accepting Applicants: Yes
Application Due Date: 11/07/2025 11:59 PM EST
A Virtual Interview are: Required
Interview notification date: 11/21/2025
Tentative interview date: 12/17/2025, 12/18/2025, 12/19/2025
Interview process description:

Application materials are initially reviewed for completion, eligibility, quality of submitted materials, clinical and assessment experience, letters of recommendation, and goodness of fit with our program's training goals. Applicants selected from this initial review will be notified and invited for interviews. Interviews will be conducted virtually to increase accessibility to our facility.

All personal interviews are conducted individually and by invitation only. Candidates will be informed by e-mail within 3 weeks of the application deadline whether or not they have been invited for a personal interview. We will offer three interview dates in December, between 12/17/2025 and 12/19/2025. The interview day will include an initial group meeting with the Training Director, individual one-on-one interviews with at least two staff psychologists, and a group Q & A session with the current interns and Training Director. Requests to meet with specific training faculty are welcome. We adhere strictly to the selection process guidelines established by the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC). Please see below for our interview schedule. 

December 17: 12:30 - 4:00 pm MT 

December 18: 8:30 am - 12:00 pm MT

December 19: 8:30 am - 12:00 pm MT 

On each of the three interview dates the schedule will be as follows:

  • 30-minute group meeting with the Training Director for a program overview
  • 60-minute individual interview with a staff psychologist or panel of Psychology Training Committee members
  • 60-minute individual interview with a second staff psychologist or panel of Psychology Training Committee members
  • *60-minute group Q&A

*During this Q&A time, the applicant group will be divided in half. For the first 30 mins, one half with meet with the current intern cohort while the other half meets with the TD. At the 30-minute mark, the groups will switch to allow for plenty of time to have your questions answered by both our present interns and any lingering questions for the TD.
How to obtain application info: Visit Website
Preferred method of contacting the program: Email the Program
We have matched with interns from these programs: Biola University; Fielding Graduate University; New Mexico State University; University of North Dakota; Adler University; California School of Professional Psychology (CSPP) at Alliant International University; The Chicago School of Professional Psychology; Azusa Pacific University; Northwest University; Rivier University, Saint Mary's University of Minnesota; West Chester University; Palo Alto University; The University of Memphis
Internship Applicant Requirements
US Citizenship Required: Yes
If NOT a U.S. Citizen, Authorization to Work or to Engage in Practical Training (CPT or OPT) in the US is Required: No
Canadian Citizenship Required: No
If NOT a Canadian Citizen, Authorization to Work in Canada or to Engage in Practical Training (CPT or OPT) in Canada is Required: No
Masters Degree Required: No
Comprehensive Exams Passed: Yes, by application deadline
Dissertation Proposal Approved: Yes, by start of internship
Dissertation Defended: No
Minimum Number of AAPI Intervention Hours (if applicable):
Minimum Number of AAPI Assessment Hours (if applicable):
Minimum Number of Combined Intervention and Assessment Hours (if applicable): 500
Does your program require applicants to submit supplemental materials (i.e., an assessment report and/or a case/treatment summary): No
Minimum Number of Years of Grad Training Required (if applicable): 4
Accepted / Not-Accepted Program Types
Clinical Psychology Accepted
Counseling Psychology Accepted
School Psychology Not Accepted
APA-Accredited Accepted
CPA-Accredited Accepted
PCSAS-Accredited Accepted
Non-Accredited Not Accepted
Ph.D Degree Accepted
Psy.D. Degree Accepted
Ed.D. Degree Not Accepted
This institution, department, internship, or postdoctoral program requires trainees to sign a statement about personal behavior and/or religious beliefs as a condition of admission and/or retention in the program: No
How to obtain text of statement:
Other Requirements: https://www.va.gov/oaa/hpt-eligibility.asp https://www.va.gov/OAA/docs/Am_I_Eligible_v5.pdf
Program Description

EPVAHCS is a Complexity Level 2 facility that provides outpatient behavioral and medical healthcare to Veterans El Paso, Texas, Southern New Mexico and the surrounding cities. The El Paso VA includes five Community-Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs) located in Las Cruces, NM and El Paso, TX. This includes an outpatient behavioral health facility that we call the South Central Wellness Center which opened in January of 2020. The South Central Wellness Center is the hub of the Psychology Internship Program.

The El Paso VA Psychology Internship Program is committed to close supervision and competency-based training in a collegial setting. Our philosophy is that all practicing psychologists should have a strong foundation in general clinical psychology and the ability to apply empirical data to clinical procedures and assessment. We adhere to a Practitioner-Scholar model of psychology.

The program follows a traditional one-to-one apprenticeship model in which the intern works closely with their supervisor. Primary areas of skills are in clinical assessment and intervention, consultation, scholarly inquiry, and awareness of and sensitivity to professional, ethical, legal, and diversity issues. We believe that training in clinical and counseling psychology at the doctoral level should generally be broadly based, but we are happy to support interns interested in the development of burgeoning expertise in health psychology, trauma, or couples psychotherapy.

EPVAHCS believes that a broad variety of perspectives and experiences contribute to a more inclusive and productive work environment. EPVAHCS is committed to promoting ongoing education, skill-building, and participation in events that demonstrate support for lived and learned experiences.

The overarching mission of the El Paso VA Psychology Internship Program is to train psychology students who will attain general entry-level practice competencies and can function effectively as professional psychologists in a broad range of inter-professional settings, but are primed for careers within VA. The primary goal of our program is to train interns to provide a full range of psychological services for a widely diverse patient population and to be prepared for entry level, independent practice at the conclusion of their internship year. We aim to develop license eligible health service psychologists who are ethical conscious and multiculturally humble.

Our training program is focused on generalist training to produce well-rounded interns adaptable to address a wide range of diagnosis in a variety of settings. As a result, the bulk of intern training occurs within our Outpatient Behavioral Health Service clinic, otherwise referred to as General Mental Health. This service sees a wide variety of presenting problems with veterans from all service eras. Common presenting concerns treated include depression, anxiety, insomnia, trauma (military and non-military related), and adjustment/transition issues. Our outpatient service functions within our Behavioral Health Interdisciplinary Program (BHIP) and Primary Care Mental Health Integration (PCMHI). Each team is comprised of therapists (psychologists/social workers), prescribing providers (psychiatrists/nurse practitioners), and nursing staff (RN/LVN). Interns join their major supervisor’s BHIP or PCMHI team and participate in weekly team huddles and case consultations.

Over the course of the training year, interns will complete two six-month major rotations (3 days/week) with a switch in supervisors/rotations after 6 months to be exposed to different perspectives and models of supervision. Interns will concurrently participate in two six-month minor rotations (2 days/week) that are six months in duration. Minor rotation options fluctuate at times based on our clinical faculty staffing and availability, but may include: Couples & Family Therapy, Trauma Specialty Care, Serious Mental Illness (SMI), Behavioral Health Access Team (BHAT), Differential Diagnosis/Psychological Assessment, Substance Use Disorders (SUD) Team, Primary Care Mental Health Integration (PCMHI), Whole Health, Workplace Violence, or Psychology Administration/Leadership. 

Additionally, interns are required to learn at least one Evidence-Based Psychotherapy (EBP) during the training year and will rank-order their EBP preferences at the start of internship. EBP options typically include: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Prolonged Exposure, Cognitive Processing Therapy, CBT for Insomnia, CBT for Chronic Pain, Motivational Interviewing, and Interpersonal Psychotherapy for Depression. For three years running, our interns have been selected to participate in VISN based training and consultation in Cognitive Processing Therapy. 

Internship Training Opportunities

Populations
Infants:
Toddlers:
Children:
Adolescents:
Adults: Yes
Family: Yes
Older Adults: Yes
Inpatients:
Outpatients: Yes
LGBTQ+: Yes
Ethnic minorities: Yes
Spanish-speaking: Yes
French-speaking:
Deaf/Hearing-impaired:
Students: Yes
International Students:
Rural: Yes
Urban:
Low income: Yes
People without housing: Yes
Other: Military Veterans

(training opportunities continued)

Treatment Modalities
Assessment: Emphasis (31% to 49%)
Individual Therapy: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Couples Therapy: Experience (21% to 30%)
Family Therapy:
Group Therapy: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Community Intervention: Exposure (1% to 20%)
Consultation/Liaison: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Crisis Intervention: Emphasis (31% to 49%)
Brief Psychotherapy: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Long-term Psychotherapy: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Cognitive Rehabilitation:
Primary Care: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Evidenced Based Practice: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Evidence Based Research:
Supervision of Practicum students :
Other:

(training opportunities continued)

Experience
Health Psychology: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Women's Health: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
HIV/AIDS:
Eating Disorders:
Sexual Disorders: Exposure (1% to 20%)
Sports Psychology:
Rehabilitation Psychology:
Physical Disabilities: Exposure (1% to 20%)
Learning Disabilities: Exposure (1% to 20%)
Developmental Disabilities:
Assessment: Emphasis (31% to 49%)
Neuropsychology-Adult:
Neuropsychology-Child:
Serious Mental Illness: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Anxiety Disorders: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Trauma/PTSD: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Sexual Abuse: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Substance Use Disorders: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Forensics/Corrections: Exposure (1% to 20%)
Sexual Offenders:
Geropsychology: Experience (21% to 30%)
Pediatrics:
School:
Counseling: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Vocational/Career Development:
Multicultural Therapy: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Feminist Therapy:
Religion/Spirituality:
Empirically-Supported Treatments: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Public Policy/Advocacy:
Program Development/Evaluation: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Supervision: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Research:
Administration: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Integrated health care - primary: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Integrated health care - specialty: Emphasis (31% to 49%)
Other:

Additional information about training opportunities: Not all rotations or training experiences may be available as described in the APPIC Directory. Please consult the program's application materials or their website at: https://www.va.gov/el-paso-health-care/work-with-us/internships-and-fellowships/  for a complete description of the training opportunities available at this training site. IF the site has not updated their information by August 1, feel free to contact the Training Director for additional information.

Summary of the Characteristics of the Specified Internship Class
2017-2018 2018-2019 2019-2020 2020-2021 2021-2022 2022-2023 2023-2024 2024-2025 2025-2026
Number of Completed Applications: 9 11 13 60 59 48 22 21 137
Number of applicants invited for interviews: 8 8 5 15 26 37 22 19 17
Total number of interns: 2 2 0 3 3 2 3 3 2
Total number of interns from APA/CPA accredited programs: 2 2 3 3 2 3 3 2
Total number of interns from Ph.D. programs: 2 2 3 0 0 1 0 2
Total number of interns from Psy.D. programs: 0 0 0 3 2 2 3 0
Total number of interns from Ed.D. programs: 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Number of interns that come from a Clinical Psychology program 2 1 0 3 2 2 1 2
Number of interns that come from a Counseling Psychology program 0 1 3 0 0 1 2 0
Number of interns that come from a School Psychology program 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Range of integrated assessment reports: lowest number of reports written 6 0 0 5 1 3
Range of integrated assessment reports: highest number of reports written 20 20 80 30 17 22
Summary of Post Internship Employment Settings of Each Internship Class (1st Placement)
2022-2023 2023-2024 2024-2025
Academic teaching:
Community mental health center: 0 0 0
Consortium: 0 0 0
University Counseling Center: 0 0 0
Hospital/Medical Center: 0 0 0
Veterans Affairs Health Care System: 2 2 0
Psychiatric facility: 0 0 0
Correctional facility: 0 0 0
Health Maintenance Organization: 0 0 0
School district/system: 0 0 0
Independent practice setting: 0 1 0
Other (Academic Psychology Department): 0 0 1
Link to Program's Trainee Admissions, Support, and Outcome Data:
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